Disclaimers: I don't anything related to Inu Yasha, especially Sesshoumaru. Gods, but I feel like crying… ::sniffles::
Thank you:
Crash, ceithleen, shikome kido mi, Mala Valvah, vegito044, Paper-Thin, Amarome, Cacat-angel, Shiren, dumdeedum, Nekoyasha, Daesy, pupb6 and Cin of an Angel.
Since ff.net's untimely if temporary demise of it's review functions a few days after the previous chapter's posting, those of you who'd left a review then will forever remain a mystery to me. But if nothing else, I'll dedicate this chapter to you and to those who've managed to leave one. Thanks everyone!
Chapter 4: Moonlit Reflections
As Sesshoumaru walked down the corridor, he couldn't help but wonder if he had made the correct decision in bringing the girl here. Although he intended to proceed with the interrogation, he knew that the information would still be too little to satisfy his curiosity. Pushing open the doors to his rooms, he found Jaken waiting by his private bath house entrance with fresh clothing in hand. Making his way in, he quickly stripped and washed himself thoroughly. Although the girl had not smelt all that bad, the principle of it remained.
The ritual completed, Sesshoumaru eased himself into the hot spring that served as a natural bathtub. Allowing himself to relax, he soon found himself wondering about the girl under his roof once more. Since the death of his step-mother over sixty years previously, no other human had set foot within the fortress of the Western Lands. And today he had been the one to change that. Rubbing his temple in frustration, Sesshoumaru tried to force his thoughts away from that of the girl but it was pointless. There were too many questions to which he had no answer to.
His peace now disturbed, the youkai lord pulled himself out of the bath and dried himself off after shaking the extra water from his tail, before slipping into the fresh clothing Jaken had left behind. Striding out of the bath house, he made his way to the hot food placed on the small table by the balcony. The meal was quickly consumed before he poured himself a cup of sake as a necessary indulgence. For a moment, the brief memory of his father's human wife performing the same for her lord flashed through his mind. His hand suddenly tightened on the ceramic cup and it shattered. Staring down in disgust at the spilt drink, he then shoved himself away from the table. That memory was as swiftly crushed as the cup had been.
He heard Jaken's stammering but a low growl silenced the irritating toad. Moving out on to the balcony, Sesshoumaru took in the moon rising in the distance, its pale light dancing over his long silver hair. His tail soon relaxed beside him and he allowed the cool night breeze to carry the sweet scent of the forest to him. Although he would never admit it to anyone, the sights and smells of nature soothed him; a happy memory of his carefree younger days when he was a small pup learning about his abilities from his parents.
Unfortunately, all that disappeared with his mother's death. She had died trying to protect her lord and mate against another powerful youkai lord. In grief for his beloved mate for the next few decades, his father began leaving the young Sesshoumaru to handle more and more of the duties required of a lord. Sesshoumaru had resented it at times, but his pride and acknowledgement of his birthright made the bitter pill easier to swallow. That was how his father had indirectly taught him about self-control and discipline.
With only the two of them now, Sesshoumaru strove to perfect his emotional control. With each passing day, he began to limit his expressions of emotions. Joy, sadness, anger, pain, they were all seemingly erased from his being. And it had been one of the hardest battles he had ever fought. His deepest secret, the dark stain on his soul as he perceived it, was his hunger to taste and experience those very emotions he had so forcefully locked away. And he utterly detested the irony of it. But it was only with his human stepmother that those emotions had begun to resurface.
By now, the moon was high in the sky and in its full glory. Forcing aside the painful memories, he once more looked towards the night sky as if seeking answers to the questions plaguing him. Sesshoumaru allowed himself to bathe in its beams as if to wash them away. The problem with being a youkai was the extremely long lifespan, granted that one was not killed too soon. He was indifferent to it, but given the absence of any heirs to the Western Lands and his current lack of interest in fulfilling that objective made it necessary to continue on. He held no death wish; the real problem came from the memories he carried within him. But as with any burden, it had to be borne until either forgotten or replaced by something else.
Leaning back against the wooden frame of the shoji, he somehow began to recall the day he had come across an old scroll of his father's. In it, the former taiyoukai had narrated a great battle that saw the destruction of several other taiyoukai and an exceptionally powerful miko with the power to slay them. If it had not been written in his father's hand, Sesshoumaru would have tossed it aside as a fairy tale to caution misbehaving pups. But there had been something about that scroll that made Sesshoumaru read it through carefully several times. And it was only at this moment that he realised it.
It struck him like a thunderbolt out of the blue. His father had meticulously described the great miko and Sesshoumaru suspected that even then, his father's fascination and strange affection for humans were already there. Closing his eyes, he recalled the almost poetic description of the miko of legend known as Midoriko.
Hair darker than the moonless night,
Her eyes held the soul of purity and light.
Her gentle form graced the very land,
And her tender smile comforted all blessed by it.
But within this frail flesh, lay a power too great for one.
Strength and beauty entwined, a slayer of youkai had arisen.
Sesshoumaru had always envisioned what this human miko would have looked like. He wasn't interested in daydreaming about her but there was something strangely alluring about a human female wielding such fantastical powers. And until today, Sesshoumaru had no face to put to the miko's image.
Wide-eyed at the almost insane thought that the human wench several doors down from his could actually match up to this legendary miko, Sesshoumaru gave in to an undignified snort of laughter. His mouth quirked upward in silent humour before he recalled the strange power that had called him to her side. That brought his mirth to a complete halt. That was the thing that was eating at his peace of mind. He had never felt such power, and it had apparently called out to him. Why was it so?
Pondering upon it, he eventually came to two possibilities. One was that the girl possessed some object that could summon youkai to her side. It was hardly likely but he could easily confirm it tomorrow. If she lied, he would simply search for it upon her person even stripping her if needed. The second was that she actually possessed the power within her, much like the miko. As far fetched as it may sound, he suddenly had to know. Frowning, he got to his feet and made his way to her room. He was too impatient to wait for the sun's rays to begin his interrogation.
The silence of the empty halls pressed down about the youkai lord as he made his way through them. Reaching the girl's room, he simply pushed open the heavy doors without consideration for the occupant within. He noted that the room was cast in shadows and near the window, the girl lay curled up comfortably under the blanket. Her breathing was deep and even, indicating that she was in a restful sleep. A small smirk curled his lips as he made his way to her side. She was going to get a rude awakening. He was feeling far from being polite about it.
Reaching down, he was about to grasp her shoulder to shake her awake when the moon slipped out from behind the cloud. It silver beams brightened the room almost as much as the sun and Sesshoumaru felt his breath catch in his throat. The pale light traced every contour of her face, the smooth forehead, the cute button nose and the softly pouting lips. Sesshoumaru's eyes unconsciously lingered on the last part as he took in the slumbering beauty before him. Her hair seemed to absorb the moon's light and glow with a strange luminescence.
'Hair darker than the moonless night…'
Even as he stood there, her scent surrounded him. Almost intoxicating in its sweetness, it held the fearsome youkai lord captive. It was Spring and Summer combined, a delightful blend of flowers and crystal clear streams. It reminded Sesshoumaru of what the earth smelt like after a hard winter, a promise of hope for the coming richness. Breathing it in, he allowed it to permeate his senses. His mind remained frozen as he stared down at what could possibly be the reincarnation of that legendary miko all those centuries ago.
Kagome felt herself drifting closer to consciousness despite her wish to remain asleep. A strange presence was nearby but she couldn't sense any threat from it. Unfortunately, her mind was now awakening and she slowly blinked sleep-heavy eyes open. The bright moonlight streamed in through her window and Kagome narrowed her eyes for a moment to accustom herself to it. Looking up once more, she suddenly realised that she was not alone. Before her, the tall silhouette of a man cast a long shadow across her bed. But what unnerved her the most were his eyes.
They burned with a strange fire that pierced her very soul. There was something so naked in that look that she couldn't help but draw her breath in sharply. But that very look also calmed her down even as they drew her in. There was a question in them and most of all a yearning that tugged at her spirit. He didn't mean her harm, but he needed something from her. And in that moment, Kagome wanted to give him that very thing that he wanted so desperately.
Sesshoumaru watched the girl as she awoke. A small part of him was pleased that she had sensed his presence but a greater part of him was disappointed. Asleep, the girl was almost beautiful beyond belief. Now awake, he could soon expect her shriek of outrage. Bracing himself for the vocal onslaught, he continued to watch her as she opened her eyes and blink. As she focused on him, Sesshoumaru was almost floored by the depths of her eyes. They appeared to swallow him in, asking for his surrender. And for a moment, he gave himself over to it.
Kagome was now very awake when she realised that the Sesshoumaru was the one standing there. For a moment, she was about to open her mouth to scream when she remembered his less than gentle response to loud noises. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and gripped the blankets tightly as though they could offer some protection from the youkai lord. Why on earth did he have to come here in the middle of the night? And why was he staring at her so intently? The questions were beginning to agitate her.
Sensing the change in her, Sesshoumaru mentally pulled back. The so-called magical moment had passed and now he had a panicking female on his hands. Allowing himself a little amusement at her expense, he bent down to the wide-eyed girl. As she was still lying down among the pillows, it was easy for him to intimidate her by caging her between his two arms placed on either side of her head. He stared into those eyes that had captured him moments before, now reflecting a rising terror. The slow feral smile that curved his lips sent Kagome's heart into her throat and she could barely breathe in fear when he leaned closer towards her, murmuring into her ear.
"You look good enough to eat, wench."
Kagome almost fainted at the remark and Sesshoumaru left as silently as he had entered. And for the rest of the night, the poor girl barely slept as horrifying thoughts of a hungry youkai lord plagued her.
Author's Notes:
First off, I apologise for the crappy poetry. I flunked it in school although I managed to score a decent 'B' in general Lit including Shakespeare. I'm one of those artistically insensitive ones who just don't get it. However, one small consolation is that sometimes I can actually delude myself into thinking that I can be somewhat poetic. Yeah, the sheer arrogance of my ego consumes me at times. Okay, I'll stop now...
Okay, is Sess really very Sess? I don't quite know actually. I mean the way he's portrayed in the anime vs. the way he is portrayed in the manga strikes me as being quite different. I mean, the guy does smile and he does look amused at certain things [rather nasty things actually]. Finally, I decided on a blend of both. Sess gets to joke about a bit and keep Kagome off-kilter. I know I've made mention of his supposed past and with little detail. There's a reason so you'll have to wait for my take of Sesshy's puppyhood days. And on to the next point…
Is Kagome very Kagome-ish? Hmm, I suppose she does appear rather whiny if easily scared but then again I have my reasons. She's a tough girl but she's not dealing with a potty-mouth hanyou cursed with the rosary beads. To handle a full youkai who could snap your neck without thinking twice, would require some care. Kagome has had a very difficult day and she's not fully equipped to handle the seemingly temperamental youkai lord.
And where, pray tell, am I going with this story? Honestly speaking, I'm still in the parking lot of ideas looking for one. I do know what I want but getting there is very difficult. I've got a very bad habit of thinking really grand plots but then realise that I have to WRITE it out into a cohesive and coherent piece. Argh! Why can't I have one of those incredible abilities of typing out all my ideas then sorting through them to form a whole before writing a story that works? When pink piggies rule the skies, I suppose.
So please leave a review to tell me what you think. I don't mind constructive criticism but please, not flaming. It's just not polite. Till then, ja mata ne!
Just to add on: I wrote this chapter a few months back and while things have changed since then, I've realised that I have to stick to my idea of what Kag, Sess and the other characters are like. I've found that while constructive criticism is good, it tends to make me change my mind about things too much. Stupid me for not being consistent enough. That doesn't mean that I don't/won't listen to it, it simply means that unless I can afford to rewrite a lot of things, I'll have to settle on my interpretation of the characters. It may appear rather cliched at times, but I'm hoping that maybe I can take it beyond that through my storytelling.
I'm really not all that original in my thinking - I just like messing about with a story that's already been/being told under the pretence of calling it an AU. Am I lazy? Quite so, but I like it as it doesn't require a lot of intellectual stamina to churn out a chapter or to chase a plot bunny as it hops leisurely by. Simply put, this fic will contain certain events and characters that have made their appearances in either the manga or anime. What I'm doing is basically picking them up, dropping them in a stew of ideas and hoping I've added enough 'spice' to make it good.
I hope I'm not making excuses to my dearest reviewers who've taken so much time out to offer me good advice and thoughtful critiques. I just hope that you won't give up on me while I 'stumble around' a little more with the next few chapters. Yeah, I've also guiltily indulged myself with a gratuitous chapter involving Sess, Kag, a bathtub and lots of soap. Hmm, maybe I should take it out and use it as a 'side story' *chuckles evilly* But seriously, I sincerely hope to be able to accomplish a more polished piece of work with the current chapter I'm writing and onwards (or embarrass myself in the attempt).
Till then,
~ Bern.